Decoder with Nilay Patel · Thursday, August 27, 2026
Since April, OpenAI has seen a significant number of executive departures, including Bill Peoples (Sora), Kevin L (VP of Science), Fiji Simo (former AGI chief), K. Rouch (CMO), Strinvenin (CTO of B2B), Brad Lightcap (former CEO/Head of Special Projects), and Denise Tresster (Chief Revenue Officer).
“Just since April, the list is staggering. I'm just going to run down it. Bill Peoples, who ran Sora. Kevin L, who was the head of product at Instagram. He was the VP of OpenAI's Science arm. Fiji Simo, who was supposed to be the head of product, at one point the AGI chief, she left on unhealthy leave and then never came back. K. Rouch, the chief marketing officer. Strinvenin, the CTO of B2B. Brad Lightcap, who was the former CEO and the head of special projects. And then just recently, Denise Tresster, the chief revenue officer.”
“That is a lot of people.”